Michael McLaughlin

Mercer, PA

U.S. Army – War on Terror

When one man is killed in combat, it isn’t just a man who dies. It is a son, a husband, a father, an uncle, a friend, a fellow soldier, and sometimes a leader who puts the safety and welfare of others in front of his own.

Lt. Col. Mike McLaughlin was all of those people. Early in the morning on January 5, 2005, in Ramadi, Iraq, he was with a crowd of 300 Iraqis who had responded to an Iraqi police recruiting drive. He was following the first priority of a military officer: Accomplish the mission.

At 7:02, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives. When shrapnel struck the back of Mike’s head, a soldier went to check him out. “I’m okay,” he said. “Go help the others.”

In that, he fulfilled a leader’s second priority: Look out for the welfare of your men.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t okay. He died from the wound.

The responses of those who knew him reveal what was lost to the world.

“Mike was a leader in word, deed, and action,” said friend and fellow soldier Lt. Col. Grey D. Berrier II. “He was a charismatic leader that always led from the front, and was the consummate professional.”

“Mike died doing his job the only way he knew how — out in front, with great enthusiasm and courage,” said Col. John L Gronski, commander for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. “He was a very close friend. My heart and my prayers go out to his family.”

Tammy McLaughlin lost her husband. Their two daughters, Ericha and Erin, lost their father.

In a speech she gave at a Veteran’s Day ceremony, his niece Paige related some of her most precious memories. “When my sister and I were really little, we went to a beach house with him. He gave us licorice for breakfast.” She remembered him as a “man that would laugh at anything, one that would make anyone his best friend just by saying hello.”

Apparently Mike said hello to a lot of people. His niece Chloe remembers his funeral. “I saw so many people that I didn’t even know. I didn’t realize how many people were his friends.”

Chloe was six when her uncle died, and ten when she wrote this insightful conclusion: “I’m proud of the veterans that have served in our beautiful free country and I am very proud of my uncle Mike. The next time you see a veteran please say thank you.”

Sharon, PA

U.S. Marine Corps – War on Terror

Michael Marzano didn’t always want to be a Marine.

“I believe he was about two years old when he decided,” said his father, Marine Sgt. Al Marzano, who served from 1969 to 1972, including a tour in Vietnam. His desire to serve grew with him as he got older. Al remembers Michael loving to dress up in his Marine uniform.

In Sharon (PA) High School, Michael developed into an ideal candidate for the Marine Corps. He competed in wrestling and became a very good boxer. Unfortunately, during a wrestling match, he tore a ligament in his knee. When he tried to enlist in the Marine Corps after graduation, he was rejected.

But Michael wasn’t one to give up easily. Corrective surgery on his knee and rehab straightened out that problem. He continued boxing, even flirting with the idea of turning pro. But his dream of being a Marine still dominated. When he tried to enlist again in 1969, he was accepted.

After training at Paris Island, Michael was assigned to Camp Lejeune. He was deployed twice to Okinawa for mountain training. While carrying a mortar tube up a hill, he lost his footing and tumbled down. He was knocked out and suffered a back injury.

“He called me up,” Al said. “He was very upset because his sergeant major told him he couldn’t be deployed because of his injury.”

Upon completing his four-year enlistment, Michael got out of the Corps and started taking college classes in in Phoenix, Arizona. But the Marine Corps was still in his blood, so he joined the a Marine reserve unit. Still, he wasn’t happy because the unit was not scheduled for deployment. On a visit back to Pennsylvania in December, 2004, he transferred to the 3rd Battalion 35th Marines in Brookpark, Ohio, which was going to Iraq.

The unit arrived there in March, 2005. On April Fool’s day, he achieved a lifelong goal by being promoted to sergeant, following in the footsteps of his father.

Toward the end of April, Michael’s unit was in Haditha, a small city about 150 miles from Baghdad. Insurgents had severely damaged the hospital. On May 7 they still occupied it. As Michael’s Mobile Assault Platoon was fighting to dislodge them, a van loaded with explosives exploded, killing Michael and three other soldiers.

For his service and his sacrifice, the VA Clinic in Hermitage, PA, was named in his honor.

Farrell, PA

U.S. Army Reserves – Desert Storm Era

MSG (ret.) Peggy Mazyck strongly felt that she should not be included among the veterans honored in this program. She feels that there are thousands of others who have done more, sacrificed more, suffered more.

She belongs in it, however, because there are hundreds of millions of Americans who have done far, far less. Without people serving honorably and diligently in the military reserves, our country could not field a viable fighting force when it needs to do so.

Peggy enlisted in the Reserves while she was a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Assigned to the 347th Quartermaster Company in Farrell, she worked her way up through the ranks, eventually becoming platoon sergeant for the Product Control Section.

That made her a vital part of the 347th Company’s mission: to provide fuel to combat operations of all branches of the service throughout the world. Without it, tanks could not run on the battlefield; jet fighters could not attack; cargo planes could not bring in troops, equipment, and supplies.

Her unit conducted petroleum supply operations all over the USA, and completed a tour in Korea. Sgt. Mazyck achieved numerous awards including several Army Commendations Medals.

In the mid-1980s, Sgt. Mazyck transferred to the 1036th US ARMY Reserve Force School, which is also headquartered in Farrell. Because of the knowledge she accumulated, she became Chief Instructor/Writer, eventually being promoted to master sergeant.

“I was in charge of the whole group,” she said. “We were tasked with training soldiers from all over the country. During the summers, working with the equipment, you not only teach; you also learn constantly.”

During Operation Desert Storm, MSG Mazyck was activated to the Quartermaster School in Ft. Lee, VA, where she trained soldiers in petroleum supply operations. After this tour of duty, she returned to the USAR School in Farrell until her retirement from the Army in 2002.

“I loved being in the Military,” she said. “I felt that I was doing something very good. It was gratifying to see soldiers gaining the knowledge they needed. I also loved the camaraderie. Over the years we became a very cohesive group.”

The next time you see a Reservist, shake his or her hand and thank them for their vital service. They may not fit the normal concept of heroes, but without them, there wouldn’t be many heroes.

Elwood City, PA

U.S. Army, Vietnam

Some men have been awarded the Medal of Honor for using their bodies to shield others from a hand grenade; others for charging an enemy bunker; or for drawing fire upon themselves away from others; or for sprinting across an open field to save a comrade. According to Sgt. Leslie Sabo’s Medal of Honor citation, he did not just one of those actions, but all of them:

“[On May 10, 1970] Specialist Four Sabo and his platoon were conducting a reconnaissance patrol when they were ambushed from all sides by a large enemy force. Without hesitation, Specialist Four Sabo charged an enemy position, killing several enemy soldiers. Immediately thereafter, he assaulted an enemy flanking force, successfully drawing their fire away from friendly soldiers and ultimately forcing the enemy to retreat. In order to re-supply ammunition, he sprinted across an open field to a wounded comrade. As he began to reload, an enemy grenade landed nearby. Specialist Four Sabo picked it up, threw it, and shielded his comrade with his own body, thus absorbing the brunt of the blast and saving his comrade’s life. Seriously wounded by the blast, Specialist Four Sabo nonetheless retained the initiative and then single-handedly charged an enemy bunker that had inflicted severe damage on the platoon, receiving several serious wounds from automatic weapons fire in the process. Now mortally injured, he crawled towards the enemy emplacement and, when in position, threw a grenade into the bunker. The resulting explosion silenced the enemy fire, but also ended Specialist Four Sabo’s life. His indomitable courage and complete disregard for his own safety saved the lives of many of his platoon members. . . .”

The acknowledgement of his heroism was a long time coming. His Medal of Honor was presented to his widow, Rose Mary Sabo Brown, May 11, 2012. That brought overdue recognition not only to himself, but also to those who fought and died with him. Leslie’s older brother, George, honored the seven other men who died that day: Larry DeBoer, James DeBrew, Fred Harms, Tom Merriman, Ernie Moore, Don Smith and Leslie Wilbanks. “These men, along with my brother, gave the ultimate sacrifice that day,” George said. “And we will remember them in our hearts. For their families here today, I want you to know that the Sabo family considers them all heroes and this Medal of Honor is for them also.”

Grove City, PA

U.S. Army – War on Terror

According to his mother, Shawn Graham was probably born to be a warrior.

When he was born in California where his father, Marine Sgt. Tom Graham, was stationed, Tom’s unit made Shawn an honorary Marine.

Shawn became a real Marine after graduating from Grove City High School in 1989. He could have chosen a number of career paths. He chose a warrior’s role: infantry. He served in the Marine Corps for ten years before leaving the Marine Corps to work in Texas, but the warrior in him couldn’t just quit. He joined the 124th Cavalry Regiment, 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard.

Like a true warrior, he was eager to serve in the War on Terror. His father, Tom, was in Afghanistan with the Indiana National Guard, and his brother, Nicholas, was in Iraq with the Marine Corps when Shawn’s chance came to serve in Iraq with the Texas National Guard. Tom and Nicholas returned; Shawn didn’t. He was killed on September 25, 2005.

Shawn Graham was a uniquely American brand of warrior – not the archetypical rough, violent man, but a compassionate, caring man. On the web site, fallenheroesmemorial.com, many tributes describe him a very good friend, even a best friend. Sgt. Michael Almon wrote that “Sgt. Graham was a loving family man, outstanding soldier, and faithful friend. . . .”

Shawn remains an inspiration to those who came after him. One soldier wrote this:

“I currently serve in Baghdad in the same position doing the same job Shawn served in when he was killed. In our offices we have a memorial with his picture and details of his life and his service. I pass the memorial every day and think of his sacrifice and the sacrifice of his family. He is not forgotten, and his life and example will always be a reminder to us of the terrible price he and so many others have paid.”

Shawn’s compassion – and its source – is obvious from this: he wanted to send money to his mom so she could buy clothes at the Salvation Army and send them to him so he could give them to the Iraqi people. She told him to keep his money, and sent him boxes of stuff for him to distribute among the Iraqis.

Knox, PA

U.S. Army – War on Terror

Ross A. McGinnis’s kindergarten teacher asked him to complete a sentence, “When I grow up, I want to be ______________.” His reply: “An army man.”

Few kids that age actually know what they want to be; Ross really, truly did. He grew up to be the ultimate army man whose self-sacrifice resulted in his receiving the highest honor the United States can bestow on its military heroes.

Ross’s career choice never wavered. On his 17th birthday, he signed up for the Delayed Enlistment Program. During the next year, he completed the requirements to qualify for entry into the army as a PFC, rather than as a buck private.

There the 19-year-old kid proved himself to be a man among men. During his first three months, he participated in over 200 combat missions in and around eastern Baghdad. He didn’t just participate; he excelled. In an intense battle on November 6, 2006, he displayed such courage that his commander recommended that he be given a waiver for the time required for promotion.

He performed his final act of bravery less than a month later, on December 4. Few things take more raw courage than to ride as a .50 caliber machine gunner on a Humvee maneuvering through narrow streets during urban combat. The gunner must position himself with his upper body fully exposed to hostile fire.

On this day, an insurgent threw a fragmentation hand grenade onto the vehicle. PFC McGinnis tried to deflect it, but it fell through the hatch into the vehicle, which was manned by four other soldiers. PFC McGinnis could have leapt out of the Hummer to safety. Instead, he dropped down into the vehicle and pinned the grenade between his body and the radio mount. He was killed instantly when the grenade exploded, but the other four soldiers survived. Only one of them was seriously wounded. For his sacrifice, PFC Ross was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Ross is the son of Romayne and Tom McGinnis. He has two sisters, Becky and Katie.

Perrine, William

Sharon, PA

U.S. Army – Desert Storm era

On February 22, 1991, hundreds of U.S. tanks and other vehicles massed in eastern Saudi Arabia to attack the Iraqi forces in Kuwait. The unit responsible for getting fuel to them was the 475th Quartermaster Group from Farrell, Pennsylvania.

How did such a responsibility fall on an army reserve unit?

During the 1980s, the Department of Defense reduced the active army, assigning logistical and other tasks to reserve units. In the end, there was no regular army petroleum group.

“We were it, basically,” said Bill Perrine, who had joined the unit in the early 1970s.

That didn’t result in a lack of preparedness, thanks to the exceptional commitment of reservists such as Bill.

Through the 1970s, he served one weekend a month and two weeks during the summer. That changed dramatically during the 1980s.

“The 475th became responsible for supplying all the fuel for the not just for the army,” Bill said, “but also for the air force, marines, and navy. Our job was to get petroleum supplies to anyone who needed them in a theater of operation. We had to figure out how to make that happen.”

It was an awesomely complex job that required Bill to spend as many as 100 active duty days a year.

“We planned the logistics from the time the petroleum comes out of the ground, through the refineries, into ocean-going tankers, to deep sea ports or across the beach, into the bladders, into the trucks, into the little refuelers, all the way to the guy’s jeep out in the field.”

They also participated in strategic planning to counter a variety of possible scenarios, such as a potential Russian invasion in Europe through the Fulda Gap. Then the attention shifted to Iran and Iraq.

“The war plans we wrote during the late 1980s got used in the early 1990s during Desert Storm,” Bill said.

Of course, planning isn’t enough; training is also necessary. The 475th participated in petroleum logistics exercises both in the United States and overseas.

When Bill took a job in Wheeling, WV, in 1987, he transferred to the 1036th U.S. Army Reserve school which was also in Farrell but required less time.

During Desert Storm, Bill was activated to teach in the Petroleum School in Fort Lee, Virginia. To his disappointment, his requests to serve in Iraq were turned down.

Bill remained in the Reserves until he retired from the military in 1993.